Vitra and Jean Prouvé

Full press kit with images and information available here

A chair by Jean Prouvé marked the beginning of furniture manufacturer Vitra’s relationship with the work of French designer Jean Prouvé. Even after more than twenty years, the collaboration with his heirs still remains active and strong: Vitra is now revising the collection with new colours and introducing a number of lesser known designs.

The colours Prouvé developed for his furniture drew on various references – from his Blé Vert, which describes the colour of young green wheat, to Gris Vermeer, which alludes to the grey tones in the work of the painter Johannes Vermeer. Yet according to Prouvé, who believed in the ‘nature of a material’, only parts in danger of corroding should be painted, which is why he left wooden and aluminium elements in an untreated state whenever possible. However, beyond the practical benefit of rust protection, Prouvé was aware that he could use colours to instil his furniture designs with a certain aura.

In autumn 2022, Vitra is expanding the palette for Jean Prouvé’s furniture to include some of these original Prouvé colours: the existing options of deep black, Japanese red and Blanc Colombe will be joined by Gris Vermeer, Bleu Dynastie, Blé Vert and Bleu Marcoule, as well as the Métal Brut variant in unpainted steel.

At the same time, Vitra is reissuing four designs by Jean Prouvé: Abat-Jour Conique, a conical lamp shade that Prouvé developed in 1947 for the wall lamp Potence, the two stools Tabouret N° 307 and Tabouret Métallique as well as the wall-mounted shelving unit Rayonnage Mural.

Expanded details on new products and colors available here.

About Vitra

Vitra is a Swiss furniture company, known worldwide for creating innovative products with iconic designers. Vitra’s catalog includes furniture, lighting, and objects from mid-century titans Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, Verner Panton, Alexander Girard and Jean Prouvé, as well as works from lauded designers including Antonio Citterio, Jasper Morrison, Alberto Meda, Maarten van Severen, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Hella Jongerius and BarberOsgerby. Vitra products are installed worldwide by architects and designers in living, working, and public spaces that inspire comfort, engagement, and productivity. 

Founded by Willi and Erika Fehlbaum in 1957, Vitra has been a family run business for more than 80 years and embraces sustainability as a corporate attitude that finds expression in every aspect of the company. Vitra’s campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany is a renowned destination for the exploration of design’s history and vanguard and home to the Vitra Design Museum. The campus features buildings by a wide-ranging group of architects, including Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Tadao Ando, Alvaro Siza, Herzog & de Meuron, and SANAA, among others.